Blackbird, Fly
by lenlyra
Summary: Kakashi has been waiting his whole life for this moment to arise.


Disclaimer! I do not own Naruto, or any of the characters. All rights belong to Kishimoto.

**All his life, Kakashi was only waiting for this moment to arise.**

Just a little ramble. _There is absolutely no plot to this._ A one-shot, involving Rin and Kakashi...and Naruto.

E N J O Y !

* * *

_Blackbird singing in the dead of night,  
__Take these broken wings and learn to fly.  
__All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise._

_Blackbird singing in the dead of night,  
__Take these sunken eyes and learn to see.  
__All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to be free._

_Blackbird, fly  
__Into the light of a dark black night._

- The Beatles, "Blackbird"

* * *

It was tradition now, this thing between her and him.

Once a month, she'll knock on his door late at night, but it's always before midnight. She never notifies him beforehand what night she'll be coming and he has no way of predicting it either. He will often be sound asleep when she knocks, but with him being a light sleeper it only takes her one or two tries until he opens the door. They'll exchange small greetings, and then he will tell her to give him a minute while he changes. Though he invites her to come inside while she waits, she always politely declines and chooses to wait outside patiently.

It only takes him a moment to find his usual wardrobe he picked out specifically for these nights, and after he changes and heads outside, she will smile at his clothing choice—a simple pair of blue jeans, a white shirt and some tennis shoes. He locks his door and they start walking to their usual place. No words are said during their long walk, except for her one comment: "I keep forgetting what you look like without your mask and headband." And he'll always smile in response.

Kakashi couldn't remember the exact night their tradition really started, but it was about a year after their sensei died. It was Rin's idea, and he complied that night when she knocked for the first time. After their first night, she had come to his home every night he was there. Because of his ANBU duties, those nights were rare enough and were about the only time the two got to spend any time together.

It took him several months before he finally decided to stop wearing his uniform and mask when he was with her. He still remembered the look Rin gave him when he first emerged from his apartment in more casual wear. Her smiles had become her own form of a mask, but when she saw him that night, she truly smiled for the first time since they had lost Obito.

This night was one of their nights, and they were now in their usual spot—a large clearing in the forest outside Konohagakure. The place was plain enough, with trees surrounding the area and grass occupying the space. Still, the place served as a sort of sanctuary for the two. It was their spot; a place where they could be together, and not have to worry about death and blood. They were safe here, and nothing could ever harm them, like they were the last people on earth.

They were stretched out on the cool grass, lying on their backs and staring up at the night sky. Rin had rested her head on Kakashi's stomach, while he had his arms folded behind his head with his Sharingan closed. Above, the clear sky gave way to the countless specks of light. They would spend hours just staring up at them, feeling insignificant, but still at peace.

"I'm happy here," he whispered, thinking more out loud than speaking to Rin.

She turned her head to look at the worn down man. During these nights when she looked at him, she always felt her heart break a little. He always looked so tired—not physically, but emotionally. His was haunted by nightmares that only seemed to get more violent with each mission. He once told her that he could hear Obito in his head, and sometimes he sees his dead teammate and sensei walking around the village, and they look so real to him that he becomes convinced they didn't really die. To top it all off, the Sharingan puts almost constant strain on his body, and she was sure years were slowly being taken off his lifespan because of it. He was exhausted to the point that he just seemed to age with each passing day.

She raised her hand to Kakashi's chin, feeling some stubble coming through that he hadn't yet shaved. She felt him tense, but he quickly relaxed under her familiar touch. A touch that had brought him back to life countless times.

"You need to shave," she said softly. A deep rumble vibrated within his chest which she identified as him chuckling. Rin smiled at the rare sound. He almost never laughed anymore; when he did, it was like magic, as if she was hearing it for the very first time. He replied, "I haven't had the chance. I only got back a few hours ago."

"Did the mission go well?"

"It was a success. We lost a few men though."

"How old were they?"

"Not much older than academy students."

Rin furrowed her brow while biting her lip. Soldiers were always dying. It was so common that the Hokage had to ask families to stop having large funerals for each death, and instead wait until the fighting was officially over. After which, they could have a one large funeral for every casualty.

She was no stranger to death either, being a medic. She probably saw more of it than Kakashi. It was tough to hear about younger soldiers dying though. Shinobi were being recruited fresh out of the academy. They barely had a chance to really live before they're pushed into cold-hearted reality.

But what would she or Kakashi know about living? Since birth, they were trained for war. They're emotionless weapons.

"The Hokage said this can only last a little longer," Rin said quietly. "He said the fighting has become scarce after the Kyuubi attack. It's still brutal, but it's scarce. That's good, right?"

He didn't reply, and instead only closed his eyes while concentrating on his breathing in a form of meditation. His focus quickly moved to Rin's chakra. He was always surprised by how warm it felt, and how it seemed to engulf him with an almost immediate effect. It was so familiar that he could easily identify it by the faintest touch. There was something about it that became so natural to him after the countless times it surged through his own chakra. It felt like home. Whenever the feeling disappeared, he always felt so cold and empty inside. He just wasn't complete without having her near.

"I'm leaving ANBU."

Rin sat up and looked down at him in complete astonishment. "What?" she asked. "Why?"

"I've been thinking about it for awhile now. They don't need me anymore. Like you said, the fighting has become scarce. All the attacks are mainly feeble attempts at revenge. Things are finally starting to settle down. I guess I just want to start settling down too. I already talked to the Hokage about it. He supports my decision, agreeing that I deserve a break."

"But—"

He sat up too, taking one of Rin's slender hands in his own. Her hands were always so soft, unscarred with no calluses or small cuts. They were the hands of healing, the givers of life. It made him disgusted to know his hands were very different, being permanently stained with blood. He wanted to be able to touch her without feeling like he was destroying a work of art.

"Do you not understand what I'm trying to say?" He looked her fully in the face, his one black eye calculated her reaction carefully, while the Sharingan spun slowly, taking in the sight of her calm chakra flow.

She pulled her hand away from his, not noticing how it hurt him. "If this has to do with Obito—"

"This has nothing to do with him!"

"—stop it. I appreciate your concern, but I even quit being a kunoichi at your request. I'm a fulltime medic now and I'll never be on the battlefield again. I don't need protecting anymore. You kept your promise to Obito and fulfilled it wonderfully. But now the ANBU needs you, and the village needs you. What's really important for us right now is to help the village."

"Rin," Kakashi chuckled, "this is about you…and me. Our future. I want to—"

"At least," she interrupted, "give it one more year."

"You once asked me to quit. What's changed?"

"That was one time! It was five years ago, when you first joined. A lot has changed since then." Her gaze fell to the spiral tattoo on his upper, left arm. She once thought it looked so out of place on his pale skin, like poisoned ink scarring what she had left of him. Now the tattoo looked so right at home on top of the lean muscles. It had become a part of him, and with it, he had made a name for himself: The Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi, son of the White Fang and student of the Yellow Flash. Without it, what was he?

"One more year," he sighed with agreement. "Do you promise to hear my reasons after one more year?"

"Yes, but not a moment before," Rin beamed victoriously.

Kakashi smirked as he leaned forward to plant a gentle kiss on her cool cheek. "We've reached a compromise," he whispered against her skin. He shied away from her and laid back on the grass, his limbs outstretched. "Have you seen the kid recently?"

"No, but tomorrow is his fifth birthday. I think I might drop off some ramen for the orphanage."

"You're encouraging his bad eating habits? A medic should know better. I'll drop off fruits and vegetables to even it up." He heard her laugh, before feeling her warm body nestle itself beside him. She rested her on his shoulder, and her long brown hair spilled over his arm. His own even heartbeat bumped lightly against her palm, which was pressed delicately on his chest.

"He's starting to look like his father," she whispered.

"He always has. The resemblance is unmistakable. As for his personality, Iruka told me it's too much like his mother's."

A gentle breeze passed through the clearing, and a waft of lavender moved past Kakashi's strong sense of smell. He felt himself relax on instinct due to the powerful, sweet aroma before feeling the effect of a blissful sleep approaching.

He was in one of the most peaceful states of mind he had ever experienced. Rin's warmth swallowed him up in a feeling of complete safety, while her scent calmed him. The feeling wasn't at all strange since her chakra made it familiar, like they had lain down together every night. The last thing he remembered thinking about before drifting off into slumber was how she had become, without his realization until now, his very own sanctuary. She was the very thing he needed to survive.

* * *

This thing was a tradition now.

Every night he was home, he'd wait until midnight to hear that familiar knock on his door. He always thought he'd catch her in the act this way, but the knock never came. He shouldn't be surprised by that anymore, but he still was every time the clock struck midnight. With the tolls of the clock ringing in his head, he'd lift himself off his couch and head outside. He'll stand in front of his door for several minutes—his one visible eye looking around frantically for a glimpse of her, his ears straining for the lightest sound of her feet, and his nose sniffing for the faintest scent of lavender. He'll lock his door after concluding that she wasn't there and hadn't been for some time, and begin to head to his usual place.

He'll say nothing along the way except for one comment: "I shouldn't be doing this." And he always bites his lip in response.

He would never forget the night this tradition started; it was the night he quit the ANBU. Like he promised her, he had waited a whole year before putting in his resignation. The Hokage was still supportive and understanding, and told him to head home to get some rest. Kakashi had always followed through with orders from the head of the village, but on that one night he couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he went to that clearing in the forest outside Konohagakure. There he told Rin he followed through with his side of the bargain, but she never followed through with hers. It was the last time he ever set foot near their spot.

He snapped himself out of his reverie when he came to a large slab of stone. Covering one side were the names of all the people who dyed in battle for Konoha. Kakashi found two of the familiar names easily since he had spent countless hours staring at them, but one wasn't there. It would never be there. "Damn," he hissed through his clenched teeth. She died in battle too.

It had been her first mission in a long time. She got herself killed because he was too busy worrying about her and not about his own safety, and so he didn't see the enemy take advantage of his distractedness and attack. But Rin did. She pushed him out of the way and took the hit herself.

"Fuck you," Kakashi swore at the stone. "I don't need to be saved."

He could just feel Obito behind his engraved name shouting at him, trying to start some childish argument they were always known for. _I saved you because I wanted to. It's what teammates do! We protect one another. Rin saved you because she loved you. Stop acting ungrateful!_ The Sharingan throbbed under his headband which caused a slight headache. "Obito, shut up."

A rustling sound came from behind him, but he didn't bother to look because the chakra was immense, and all too familiar. "Naruto, what are you doing here?"

The blond boy with the whisker stripes on each cheek came to stand beside his sensei. His sapphire eyes were clouded by the recent events, just like the rest of the village. The past few days had been quiet and most stores had been closed, while people stayed inside to mourn their loved ones and the Hokage. A powerful leader was taken away and a village was almost broken.

"You're going on a mission soon," Naruto said. It wasn't a question, but Kakashi nodded anyway. "You won't stay to help us? Sasuke is losing it, Sakura won't talk to either of us, and I'm…."

"Jiraiya will look after you. Sakura has her parents for help. And Sasuke will figure things out on his own like he has done for years. The village needs me right now. That's more important than anything else. We're in for some tough times, Naruto. But I'll do what I can while I'm still here."

Naruto said nothing. He probably didn't understand his teacher's words. "Alright," he said anyway. Maybe he did understand, and was too tired to argue.

Kakashi stared at the seemingly broken spirited. In a desperate attempt to ease the awkward tension, he asked, "Want to go get some ramen?" He smirked at how he was encouraging bad eating habits, but he could let it slide just this once. He could go back to being the lecturing health-eater once he returned from his mission.

"Yeah," the boy grinned weakly, but some of that spirit was already coming back.

* * *

Yes, there are mistakes! However, I'm much too lazy to fix them right now. Perhaps I'll go back and revise this in the future.  
Please review this! Any constructive criticism is much appreciated.


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